Do you think Miki will make the Olympic Team for Japan? And if So who do you think she will bump off the team?

I don't think she will make the Olympic team, but I think she'll make a good shot at it. Her comeback was solid, and clearly she still has her jumping ability. I think if Murakami suffers UR jumps and Miki skates cleanly, that might cost her spot. Suzuki is a question mark sometimes, but I think that she'll pull out the stops at Nationals. Miki has less to lose and has the reputation, which makes her a threat to all the Japanese skaters (except for Mao).

I'm really pleased though with how put together Ando was. She will certainly need a better program though. There's a lot of stroking around and not many transitions or interesting choreography, but I'm cutting her some slack since it's her first time back.

What she has shown last weekend would not get her on the team IMO. However, her comeback is still in its early stages and if she improves further she could finish as high as second at her nationals. Akiko and Kanako aren't exactly the most consistent skaters and are certainly beatable by a two-time world champion in peak form. Whether Miki regains her form is the big question.

What she has shown last weekend would not get her on the team IMO. However, her comeback is still in its early stages and if she improves further she could finish as high as second at her nationals. Akiko and Kanako aren't exactly the most consistent skaters and are certainly beatable by a two-time world champion in peak form. Whether Miki regains her form is the big question.

Agreed. What she showed would probably get her a top 5, but her program will need to be cleaned up and increased in intricacy, and she'll need to get her flip back. Of course, she'll also have to rely on Murakami and Suzuki to make errors. It's not out of the question, but who knows how many errors Miki might make when her program gets more difficult.

Japanese Nationals is in 3 months. I do not think Miki can possibly return to full form in such a short time. It's not just the jumps. Her spins and footwork were all level2 and she was clearly struggling with them. She can't work in depth with all those issues all at once, so I'd say her chances of making the Olympic team are slim.

It is possible and if it happens I think Akiko will be the one to suffer a setback. I just can't imagine Japan to leave Kanako at home, when you look at her last results on the international stage. Maybe they will split spots for Worlds and Olympics......

I am not Japanese so I don't know how your qualification system works, but if your national committee picks after nationals, then all she must do is to get on the Podium there.
In that case I would not write her off to be honest, she has the experience and confidence which plays a very big role. Look at all those wonderful skaters that didn't qualify because of nerves :( Miki has an advantage there, don't underestimate this.

It is possible and if it happens I think Akiko will be the one to suffer a setback. I just can't imagine Japan to leave Kanako at home, when you look at her last results on the international stage. Maybe they will split spots for Worlds and Olympics......

On the other hand, Suzuki has recently beaten Mao with a very strong performance at World Team trophy, and while Kanako has a 4th, Suzuki has a bronze and higher GP finishes than Kanako last season. Suzuki's only major setback was, unfortunately, at Worlds.

100%? That's quite the assertion. She has a shot, after seeing what she's done at Nebelhorn. But considering the depth in Japan, Miki isn't a sure bet. Mao is most likely to make the team regardless of how she skates. And Kanako and Akiko can certainly beat Miki.

You just don't underestimate a 2 times world champion.
If Suzuki and Murakami are sitting there thinking Miki can't take a spot from them, they probably will be the one sitting at home.
I would be worried if I'm either one of them.

WTT counts for nothing.
Those sponsor signs promise a gold for Japanese skaters beforehand. When Asada bombed in the SP, the medal was passed to Suzuki. It's just outrageous to give 66+ for a SP with only the 3T-2T combo. That "win" doesn't qualify Suzuki as the Olympic candidate. Such things will never happen at Sochi Olympics. After all, Suzuki is the 12th at worlds.

You just don't underestimate a 2 times world champion.
If Suzuki and Murakami are sitting there thinking Miki can't take a spot from them, they probably will be the one sitting at home.
I would be worried if I'm either one of them.

I'm not underestimating what Miki is capable of. But I'm not underestimating what Murakami and Suzuki are capable of. Not to take anything away from Ando's World titles but they were in years with relatively weaker fields and certainly when Suzuki and Murakami weren't at the level they are now. The interesting thing will be seeing if Ando gets the love from her federation, from the international judges, and if she can bring her program up to par with Suzuki's/Murakami's choreo. She's getting there, but I think people are being a little quick to peg her as a shoe-in.

Let's bear in mind that the PCS Ando got (while it should improve) was not as high as Murakami and Suzuki. Even with her disastrous FS at Worlds, Suzuki got almost 60 points PCS to Ando's 55 for a practically clean skate at Nebelhorn.

Reputation will help her out, but gone are the days when she could win titles with 4 or 5 triples.

WTT counts for nothing.
Those sponsor signs promise a gold for Japanese skaters beforehand. When Asada bombed in the SP, the medal was passed to Suzuki. It's just outrageous to give 66+ for a SP with only the 3T-2T combo. That "win" doesn't qualify Suzuki as the Olympic candidate. Such things will never happen at Sochi Olympics. After all, Suzuki is the 12th at worlds.

While there was blatant inflation, there's no denying the performance... Suzuki's FS at WTT, would have easily beat Ando -- heck Suzuki's abysmal FS at Worlds would have beat Ando's decent FS at Nebelhorn.

Every single one of Suzuki's scores, even her 12th place at Worlds (164 points), would have beaten Ando's score at Nebelhorn (162 pts). And discounting Worlds, all of Suzuki's scores last season were 175 or higher.

I'm just saying people are being really quick to say Ando will surely beat Murakami and Suzuki.

Suzuki's worst score of the last season is 158 pts at National sports festival. It's obvious that she easily crumbles under pressure, especially when she feels that the judges are not on her side. That's why I'm very positive about the same thing happening at Japanese nationals.

Beating Ando's 162 pts doesn't matter anyway. Ando is not a factor from the beginning. All parties (Ando herself, JSF, TV, sponsors) are just trying to gain some profits from the "comeback mother athlete" story.